Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
Food and beverage blenders are well known. A blender of this type generally comprises a base in which is located an electric motor. The base accepts a removable jug. Mechanical power is transmitted from the base to the jug with a mechanical coupling arrangement. Blades in the jug rotate for the purpose of blending, mixing or stirring foods or beverages.
The foods or beverages in the jug rise under the influence of the rotating blades. Particularly in high powered blenders, the force exerted by the rising foods or beverages may be enough to disrupt the jug's lid or defeat the lid's seal. Accordingly, a lid is required, that in cooperation with the jug, results in a secure sealing of the jug but also resulting in a lid that is relatively easy to install and remove.
For the jug's lid to have a transparent portion, a relatively hard, transparent polymer must be utilised in a viewing area. In order to create an effective seal between the lid and jug, softer polymer must be utilised for the seal. Accordingly, a lid with a transparent portion is required that combines both hard and soft polymers in an advantageous way.
Jug lids are also known that have a removable, central, cap. Removing the cap allows food or beverages to be introduced through the lid when it is in place. The cap can also serve as a measuring cup. When that part of the lid that retains the cap is a hard polymer and the cap is a hard polymer, motor induced vibrations can cause undesirable rattling or vibration of the cap. Accordingly, the mechanical interaction between the lid and the cap requires strategic use of soft polymers to reduce vibration and noise.
The user interface of a blender may include both push buttons and rotary knobs. However, particularly with a rotary knob, debris under and around the knob may be difficult to clean. Accordingly, a removable knob portion for a blender is required that facilitates removal and cleaning.
The mechanical coupling between the blender's motor and the female coupling normally associated with the base is normally a rigid connection. However, vibration and misalignment can be minimised by providing a torsionally resilient coupling between the motor and the base's coupling.
The execution of certain recipes, in a blender, may be enhanced by providing programming functionality. By programming a blender, a user can obtain a repetition of a sequence of blender events, later in time. This allows the user to easily and accurately reproduce a complex series of events on demand. It would be advantageous to provide a pause functionality to allow a user to temporarily pause the blender, during programming, to allow, for example, additional ingredients to be added during the course of a program or during the subsequent playback of the same program.